


Should we be good?

by Firefly3



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23385898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firefly3/pseuds/Firefly3
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

Steven, shaking, manages to carefully palm Jasper’s assembled gem and hurriedly submerges her into the rainbow water. Hunched over the bath he convulses with tears and pains out the words, “Please let this work.” His eyes blurry, blinking at his hands, pleading and begging with the destroyed gem encased inside to do something, anything, because this HAS to work. 

Tears continue to slide down and drip off his cheeks as he tenses with fear. The terrible impending realisation that nothing was happening smothering him. Stevens' gaze shifts to a shocked stare. His pupils constrict in shock as he slowly opens quivering fingers, unable to fully reveal the impossible consequences of his actions. In the shadowed cracks in his hands, through the murk of swirling colour, were the dull remnants of Jasper.

Steven curled into himself, arms still poised in the water, as his stomach spasmed, lurching with a concoction of thick tar like emotions. “No-No.. Please Jasper-this isn’t..” Despite the crushing weight on his chest he took a soggy hitched gasp and cried “Just-Please. Just come back!”

“She's not coming back.”  A deep rumbling voice told Steven.  “You murdered her, so she is never coming back.”  Steven stared at the floor, trembling with terror.

From what sounded like very far away Steven could hear other voices. “Steven! Steven open the door!” One insisted. But he couldn't move. 

“You think your mother’s so bad, so **cruel** -” 

“Dude this is serious, open the door!” Another exclaimed in panic.

The low voice slowly chuckled then said “But she never **shattered** anyone.” Steven started to radiate with energy evident from his growing pink hue.

Pearl banged her fist against the door before pressing her head against the surface and looking to the floor in defeat. “Steven, please open the-” a pink light illuminated the floor at the base of the door. “Garnet, look.” 

Rumbling thunder filled the room as Garnet looked to the floor. Dread consumed her as waves of a dark energy pulsed from the bathroom. She took a sharp inhale and clenched her fists before announcing “Steven, I’m going to break down the door.”

“Guys what is that light? And why is the air so-so damn heavy?” Amethyst worriedly asked, looking between both gems for an answer. She did not get one. Neither gem moved. “Errr, earth to crystal gems. Steven is in there and what feels like literal death. We have to get him out!”

Garnet clenched her fists harder. “I’ll break down the door. Gems get behind me.” Pearl moved away from the door and behind Garnet and Amethyst joined her. “We don't know what is in there so be prepared for anything.” She warned as more and more powerful energy waves washed over them. The three pulled out their respective weapons ready for action as Garnet wasted no more time in kicking the door down.

The door slams open and the Gems dive in. Amidst the pink and the pressure they see him with zig zag cracks extending from him, etched in the floor. Steven is on his knees turned away from them, pink and bound up in a painfully tight ball.

Garnet looks past him to the bath. She sees the swirling whites, yellows, blues and pinks as well as the submerged diamond essence bottles. “Steven?” He does not so much as twitch.

Pearl approaches him slowly and speaks more softly, “Steven what are you doing?”

He is drowning. Drowning in the guilt and the pain and- “They will hate me.” And fear and- “They should hate me.” -And-and- “I hate me.” \- He couldn't **breathe**. 

“Get away” he whined as Pearl crouched down to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Steven talk to us.” Pearl quietly implored.

The waves of energy were getting more frequent and foreboding. Garnet gasped and outstretched her arm, desperately trying to get her words to win the race against time. “Get back!” She shouted, but not quick enough.

“I said **GET AWAY**.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I said **GET AWAY**.” A tsunami of pink light erupted from his form, hitting all three gems sending them flying back and crashing to the shattered floor. Pearl getting the worst of it. The contents of the bath splattered the now cavernous wall and splintered sink.

Steven took a few deep breaths and uncurled. “Just go.” He whispered, opening his clenched fist and looking at the shards in his palm. “I should be alone.” He turned away from what was left of the bath only to find that he was alone. “Wha-” He spotted the four of them on the broken floor. 

Steven pocketed Jasper’s shards and swiftly crawled over to Pearls gemstone, picking it up with caution as tremors wracked his body. “No, Pearl. I’m so sorry.” He stumbled to his feet and scooped up Ruby, Sapphire and Amethyst, running out of what was the doorway and ran to the coffee table where he knelt down and released the gems. 

Steven once again picked up Pearl turning her around in his hands, scouring her for any damage. No cracks, no chips, no nothing. He did the same with each gem, an awful panic subsided as none of them appeared damaged. He concluded he had only poofed them.

“Only poofed them?” The voice questioned.

They’re fine. They seem fine. Steven reasoned in his mind.

The voice drawled with humour. “They would be better if you hadn't **attacked** them.” Steven could not argue with that. Instead he pulled out his phone. The voice tone shifted to worry as it asked “Who are you calling?”

“I’m getting help.” Steven said out loud.

“Help?... You mean mental help?” The voice laughed.

“No!” Steven screeched, shaking his head. “Help for the gems, obviously.”

“And why are we helping them?”

“Beca-becasue, we-I-I poofed them, we, I **hurt** them!” Steven stuttered, his eyes welling up. “I can’t help them.”

The voice signed, exacerbated. “Calm down. The gems will reform.” Steven, ignoring the voice, clicked onto the contacts on his phone. The voice started to speak more quickly, an edge of panic creeping in. “You thought it yourself! ‘They’re fine’. Those are your words, not mine!” Steven clicked on Greg but before he could press call the voice bellowed in his head. “ **STOP!** ”

“Ahhh!” Steven gripped his head, his hands grabbing his hair in pain from the intensity of the voice. “Why? I don't understand!”

“What exactly are you going to say to them STE- **VEN?** ” The voice angrily interrogated. 

“What?” The voice did not reply, so Steven tried to explain. “I’m going to say ‘the gems got poofed and I’m worried. They were trying to talk to me….’ and um… err..-” 

“Yeah. And you were the one who poofed them! What, you were going to say ‘hey dad, just letting you know I murdered Jasper and maybe the gems but it’s fine! I just need you to get here to help me figure out if the gems are actually dead?’” The voice laughed hysterically for a few moments before composing itself. Steven said nothing. “I’m sure that will go down just swell. Don't you?” The voice’s words dripped with sarcasm. 

“Ok I see what you mean.” Steven conceded. “I guess I don’t have to tell the whole truth..”

There was a short pause in the conversation. “That...That sounds reasonable.. We just need a good story.” The voice pondered sounding more at ease. “Firstly we need to be able to explain the damage to the house.”

“Damage?” Steven turned towards the destruction of the bathroom. The wall had all but collapsed, the mirror had shatter- broken and just as he was taking it in and somehow contemplating if they could clean it up the sink all but crumbled to the torn up floor. “Oh.”

“We need an explanation which does not involve us-you obliterating the bathroom. One which can not be proven wrong.”

Steven hesitated, not liking what occurred to him, then muttered “J-Japser?”

“Jasper? What about her? Oh, oh!” The voice practically giggled. “Jasper, thats-thats brilliant. Jasper destroyed the bathroom---in an attack! Then ran off. It isn't like she can defend herself now is it?” 

He knew it was wrong. But what was one more wrong today? “That works but what about when-”

**“If.”**

“-when the gems reform? They know it was me.... It won’t work, everyone will know what I did!” Steven started gasping for air.

“Hey-hey.” The voice soothed. “Take deep breaths ok? We can figure this out.” Steven closed his eyes nodding. “We could say Jasper had shape shifted into us or something. That could work right?” 

Steven put his hands to his face “I was glowing pink!” Steven wailed, now breathing too heavily. “Jasper could shape shift, but I do NOT remember her ever glowing pink.”

“Okay, fine. Bad plan…” The voice admitted. “We could just…” The voice stopped, considering its words carefully. “We could just bite the bullet on this one.”

“That is insane! I can't do that.” Steven said in disbelief. 

“Hear me out!” The voice reasoned. “As long as no one knows about the Jasper incident everythings fine… We-we can say we don't know what happened in the bathroom, BUT it was us.... We can just say we lost control and say how sorry we are, they’ll forgive us in time.”

Steven considered this for a moment, his eyes peeking between his fingers and shifting to the gems on the table questioningly, then asked. “But they wouldn't forgive me when it came to Jasper?” The voice said nothing. “No, I wouldn't either.” 


End file.
